The Garmin 62s GPS does exactly what we bought it for. We were looking for a device that would last longer than our cell phones and would work in the many places we go that don’t have cell coverage. We wanted waterproof and rugged and were wiling to give up some features to have that.Pros: Batteries last long time, cleans easily, dries easily, easy to use, good waterproofing, lightweight, rugged
Cons: No map of Asia or Hawaii
Best uses: Day trips, hiking, kayaking, camping, mountaineering, trekking
This GPS does exactly what we expect of it. We weren’t looking for a crazy combination device that would take pictures, navigate our car, call our mothers on holidays, etc. We wanted a rugged device that would survive the extremes of the Himalayas or the canyons near our house. This Garmin 62s does all of this.
We did a great deal of research before we finally decided to buy, and we’ve been very happy. We use the GPX files created by friends to navigate to trails they’ve done, but also post our own GPX files of our adventures.
Basecamp, the software used to manage and modify maps, is easy to use, especially with BirdsEye, the add-on that allows for map creation in places where there aren’t good topos (like Nepal).
maximum adventure 
June 1, 2011
advice, gear